Photo: Meghan Sali David Eby with MLAs Harwinder Sandhu, Roly Russell and community members at a stop in the Okanagan. BC’s attorney general and BC NDP leadership candidate believes “governments of many different stripes” have left those struggling with mental health and addiction issues for decades. David Eby says it’s time to change that. Speaking to Castanet News during a tour of the Okanagan, Eby pointed to the decision to close Riverview Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam in the 1980s, saying governments did not provide the necessary support to those who would otherwise end up in the facility. “I think we’re at a point now with the crisis in a lot of inner-city communities related to mental health and addiction that we’re going to have to get that going,” Eby said. “The challenge for governments is that it’s expensive, it’s time-consuming to set up, but it’s very obvious to me that it’s necessary.” Eby says people need to recognize that the province is obligated to follow federal law, including changes to the ability of courts to hold people on bail. Because of this, Eby says the challenge is to become more aggressive in using mental health intervention and drug treatment. “And, that means things like involuntary mental health care and addiction care for people to at least give them a chance to survive, but also to respond to the crisis that they’re obviously in.” The government of K.V.E. withdrew plans earlier this year to involuntarily treat youth after overdoses after a backlash from experts and drug users. Read more. Do you have an opinion? Send it to [email protected] August 17, 2022 – 11189 votes Do you have a positive memory of Zellers stores? Yes: 8026 No: 2678 Uncertain: 485 August 16, 2022 – 10751 votes Do you use reusable shopping bags for your groceries? Yes: 7248 No: 1580 Sometimes: 1923 August 15, 2022 – 9662 votes Should federal employees be offered training in indigenous languages? Yes: 2983 No: 5937 Uncertain: 742 August 13, 2022 – 10907 votes Has rising inflation had a direct impact on your spending? Yes: 8745 No: 2003 Uncertain: 159 August 11, 2022 – 9157 votes Should Canada accept more Ukrainian refugees? Yes: 5145 No: 3213 Uncertain: 799